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CARBURETOR:

BASIC PRINCIPLES
This article will discuss a very interesting subject: the operation and adjustment of
different types of carburetors used on motorcycles.

O
tto cycle engines used to
power both two and four
stroke motorcycles are
fed with fuel (normal gasoline,
special gasolines for some com-
petition needs or, in some un-
common cases, methyl and/or
ethyl alcohol), which is suffi-
ciently volatile and has ignition
properties which allow it to be
premixed with the combustion
air before the combustion is ini-
tiated by the spark plug. On the
other hand, in Diesel cycle engi-
nes, the fuel is less volatile and
has ignition properties which
require that it be mixed with air
only inside the combustion
chamber, where the pressure
and temperature conditions are
such to induce natural ignition.
For this reason, the power
delivery of diesel engines may
be adjusted by fuel delivery alo-
ne, without the need to control
the airflow.
In Otto cycle engines, when the
fuel is pre-mixed with the air, it
is necessary to control the air-
flow and therefore, indirectly,
the fuel flow. In automobile en-
gines, fuel injection systems are
used in most models, controlled
by a central unit that adjusts
the duration of time during
which the injectors remain open
to deliver fuel into the air
stream. As everyone knows, ana-
logous systems have been adop-
ted on some high range mo-
torcycle engines. In most cases,
however, carburetors are widely
used, where the fuel is introdu-
ced according to the vacuum ge-
nerated on various systems of
fuel jets. The carburetor is the-
refore designed to perform three

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On the right, the main components of a
Dell'Orto motorcycle carburetor are shown:
1. starting lever; 2. air intake; 3. venturi; 4.
starter jet; 5. float chamber; 6. atomizer; 7. fuel
valve; 8. needle; 9. throttle valve; 10. float
chamber air intake; II. fuel connection; 12. Idle
mixture adjusting screw; 13. throttle valve adju-
sting screw; 14. float; 15. idle emulsion tube,
16.idle jet; 17. main jet.

This is a diagram of the gasoline delivery in the


inducted airflow: the fuel inside the float cham-
ber rises in the atomizer (31), going through the
jet (32) which adjusts the delivery together with
the needle (28); the liquid is emulsified first
with the air arriving from the channel (13) insi- basic functions:
1. to control the power delive-
de the nozzle (30) then going into the venturi
red by the engine, adjusting the
(29) it mixes with the air coming from the in- airflow inducted according to
driver demand.
take (1). 2. to meter the fuel flow into
the inducted air stream, while
keeping the air/fuel ratio in the
optimum range over the engi-
ne's entire working range.
3. to homogenize the air and
fuel mixture in order to make
the ignition and combustion
proceed properly.

THE MIXTURE RATIO


The air/fuel ratio (A/F) is the ratio
between the air and fuel mass in-
ducted by the engine. It is defined
as:

A/F = Mair/Mfuel

If we consider this ratio from a che-


mical point of view, the value of the
stoichiometric A/F ratio is the one
that allows complete combustion,
without
leaving either excess air (lean mixtu-
res) or unburned fuel (rich mixtures)

Stoichiometric A/F
The stoichiometric A/F ratio de-
pends on the fuel type. For commer-
cial gasoline this varies from about
14.5 to 14.8, meaning that 14.5-
14.8 pounds of air are needed for
the complete combustion of 1

2
The fuel mixes with the air inducted by the engine by means of different circuits according to the throttle opening. Here above on
the left hand side, we can see the operation at idle, with the liquid that is metered by the jet (18) and arrives in the fuel trap (22)
before it emulsifies with the air arriving from the channel (16) and adjusted by the screw (17). This emulsion goes under the th-
rottle valve (12) and into the aspiration channel (13) from the ports (19 and 20). On the right hand side, the same carburetor at
wide open throttle with the fuel flow adjusted by the main jet (28) that it emulsifies with the air (24) in the atomizer (27) before
exiting from the nozzle (26).

A modern needle type carburetor (Dell'Orto VHSB) is equipped Section of the fuel feed circuit in a Dell'Orto VHSB carburetor: 1.
with different circuits with relevant calibration jets to assure pro- Fuel line from the tank; 2. Screen filter; 3 fuel valve seat; 4 valve
per fuel delivery under all conditions. As we can see from the sec- needle; 5 float arm pin; 6. float holder on the arm; 7. float; 8.
tion diagram, each fuel circuit leads to the constant level float float driver; 9. float chamber air intake.
chamber.

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On the left hand side above, the section of an annular float can be
seen here above, used on some types of carburetors: 1. Float cham-
ber air intake; 2. Float; 3. Fuel connection; 4. Fuel inlet channel; 5.
Valve needle. In the center, a detail of a removable Dell'Orto val-
ve; we can see that the synthetic rubber needle tip is a sprung type.
Below a detail of a fuel valve, machined directly in the carburetor's
body; in this case the needle is sprung.

pound of fuel. For engines powered


with methyl alcohol, this ratio de-
creases to 6.5 while for ethyl al-
cohol it is 9.

A/F ratio produced by the carburetor


The mixture delivered by the carbu-
retor during the engine's operation
doesn't necessarily correspond to a
stoichiometric A/F value. According
to the engine design and its opera-
ting conditions (r.p.m. and load) a
portion of the delivered fuel may
not be burned because it doesn't rea-
ch the combustion chamber or be-
cause the combustion itself is not
perfect. Some charge dilution can al-
so occur from residual exhaust gas
remaining in the cylinder, as well as
some loss of fresh charge at the
exhaust. These effects are particu-
larly sensitive in two stroke engines.
If we consider that the appropriate
A/F ratio must be that of the charge
taking part in the combustion, we
can assert that the mixture delivered
by the carburetor must be richer (A/F
< stoichiometric) to compensate the
above phenomena.

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Checking the position of the float inside the

float chamber is prescribed. According to diffe-

rent carburetor models, the distance of the float

from the contact surface of the float chamber

needs to be measured

A/F ratio requirement under different


conditions

The A/F ratio must vary within cer-


tain limits, depending on the engi-
ne operating conditions. Generally
we can expect that the air/fuel mix-
ture must be richer (A/F lower) at
idle, in the acceleration mode, and
at full power. On the contrary, at
constant load the mixture may be
lean, meaning that the A/F ratio
can increase compared to the pre-
vious conditions. In two stroke en-
gines, the words "rich" and "lean"
referring to the mixture, have relati-
ve value under different specific
operating conditions of the engine,
and the stoichiometric mixture is
not often referred to, since in these
engines the mixtures are always ri-
cher that stoichiometric. This may
also be partially true in many four- float chamber fuel level and the le- float chamber level is affected by
stroke engines, but in general, these vel that the fuel must be raised to two elements: the weight of the
engines use leaner mixtures than by the inducing vacuum remains float (or of the floats) and the confi-
two stroke engines constant. The float chamber level is guration of the lever arm that con-
kept constant by means of a fuel in- nects the float with the valve. By
OPERATING PRINCIPLES OF THE let valve, actuated by a float that installing a heavier float, the free
BASIC CARBURETOR: THE FUEL follows free surface of the liquid in surface of the float chamber liquid
DELIVERY CIRCUITS the float chamber. When the float must rise before the float buoyancy
Liquid fuel is fed to the nozzle of chamber level drops, due the fuel force balances the increased weight
the carburetor venturi, and flows used by the engine, the float drops making the float rise. The result will
due to the vacuum generated by the and opens the valve, so that addi- be a higher float chamber level and
air flowing past the venturi itself, tional fuel can flow from the tank. a richer delivered mixture under the
and from airflow pulsations genera- The level of the fuel and float then same conditions. On the contrary if
ted by the piston movement. The increases, and at a certain point, we install a lighter float, a lower li-
calibrated jets placed upstream of closes the valve until the sequence quid level will cause sufficient
the spray nozzle itself control the is repeated. The level in the float buoyant force to actuate the valve
fuel flow reaching the spray nozzle. chamber is therefore a calibration and therefore the carburetor calibra-
Motorcycle carburetors are nearly element of the carburetor, since the tion will become leaner. That is
always of the needle type and have metered fuel delivery changes with why floats are classified according
a structural architecture as shown float level, and therefore affects the to their weight (printed on them)
in the accompanying illustrations. mixture ratio. By having a high and calibration standards for their
The fuel arriving from the tank is float level, a greater fuel quantity is position inside the float chamber
held inside a constant level float delivered compared to the case with are prescribed in order to assure
chamber. The liquid pressure head a low float level, under all operating correct operation. To modify the
on the various jets is relatively con- conditions and for all of the carbu- float chamber level, if necessary and
stant. The difference between the retor's circuits. Adjustment of the when it's not possible to change the

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float weight, in some cases it's possi- the carburetor's body, forms the Carburetors can have different types of
ble to change the angle of the lever fuel valve. The needle is equipped flange connections to the engine,
that operates the valve. with a synthetic rubber element on according to their use. On the left we can
In this way, the float closes the val- the tip. see a flat flange with a seal O-ring; on
ve in advance (for a lower level) or This material is perfectly compati-
the right we see a male sleeve required for
later (for a higher level) at equal ble with normal commercial gasoli-
weight. ne but in the case of special fuels mounting inside a flexible coupling.
We must note, however, that too such as those containing alcohol, it
low a level in the float chamber can is necessary to verify the compatibi-
result in an insufficient liquid head lity of the fuel and the seals in or-
on the jets and therefore lead to the der not to compromise the carbure- engine suffers from reduced fuel de-
risk of dangerous enleanment of the tor's functionality. livery due to the fact that the level
delivered mixture. Different versions of the needles are in the float chamber is decreased
This can occur when the fuel moves equipped with a sprung tip in the and therefore the carburation has
inside the float chamber due to the connection with the float, in order become too lean.
accelerations the vehicle undergoes. to reduce the needle's vibration in-
In these cases (which mainly hap- duced by the motion of the liquid
pen on off-road motorcycles or on in the float chamber and from the
the track, in the bends or under vio- motorcycle's movements.
lent braking), if the level is too low, The diameter of the needle valve is
one of the jets leading to the carbu- a calibration element since it deter-
retor's circuits may be temporarily mines the maximum fuel delivery
exposed to air instead of liquid. rate.
In some versions, special screen baf- If the diameter is too small to ac-
fles are applied near the jets. commodate the fuel quantity that
These are called bottom traps and the engine requires under certain
their purpose is to maintain the conditions (generally at full load)
maximum liquid quantity around the float chamber empties faster
the jets under all possible condi- than it can be replenished through
tions. A needle that closes on a seat, the needle valve! If this condition
which is inserted or screwed into should continue for some time, the

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